


Fae Relic

by Ariel_Riddle



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate World Travel, Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Caught in the Act, Draco is on the Market, Harry is Fed Up with Ginny, M/M, Pining Draco, S&R:CRW, Spell Mishap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 14:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11899452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariel_Riddle/pseuds/Ariel_Riddle
Summary: Harry is reluctantly paired up with his fellow Auror, Malfoy, on a mission that is supposed to be cut and dry. He tries to shove aside his feelings long enough to deal with the mysterious relic they encounter but he soon finds out, everything that can go wrong will.Written for Quills & Parchments Scandal Competition





	1. Assignment

****

**~~~***~~~**

The ancient forest was bathed in darkness, save for the dim starlight that cast an eerie glow on the small creek cutting through the trees. The organic scent of composting, snapped trees and centuries old gnarled roots wafted through the air. Deep in the heart of the primitive woods, the thick foliage gave way to a glade of sorts, where the creek emptied into a small pool at the mouth of a cave. The trees lining the glade stood like guardians, silent and watchful.

Two butterflies fluttered along the water’s edge, the glow from their pink, glittering wings purged the immediate darkness. They flew up to the mouth of the cave, magic reverberating around them.

The air that kissed their flapping wings became charged, vibrating with some invisible energy. The brilliant pink hue morphed into a full spectrum of colors—red, green, blue, and then back to pink again. The wings gave way, and the arthropodic bodies shifted and changed into that of ethereal, long limbed creatures.

Sighing and stretching, the fae with shimmering blond hair cast a doubtful look around. “Here,” her brows knitted in distaste, “here, Nyx, is where you want me to hide it?”

The silver-haired fae crossed her arms petulantly. “It’s the perfect spot, Rowen. Unknown to humans.”

“I don’t know.” Rowen absently examined her flawless reflection in the pool. “Humans do seem to often be able to find that what’s off limits to them.”

Nyx’s hands dropped to her hips. “Rowen, don’t put off the inevitable. You know what the queen demanded of you. We’ve been to three places you’ve already declared weren’t ‘ _good enough_.’ This is the final stop.”

Rowen withdrew a sparkling chain with a heavy pendant from her skirt, eyeing it proudly. “I don’t see why I must give it up. It’s an amazing achievement; it's not meant to be hidden away.”

“It’s dangerous. You’ve seen what happens when the humans get ahold of it—they can change the _entire world_!”

“That’s not what it’s meant for.” Rowen clutched the chain to her chest in a protective gesture.

“I’m sure there are much more efficient inventions you can conjure.” Nyx reached for Rowen’s arm, wrenching her to the mouth of the cave. “Don’t dally another moment. The queen has given her orders, and there’s no sense disputing it.”

Rowen followed reluctantly behind her friend, suppressing the urge to do just what she was forbidden to. She let the delicate chain thread through her fingers one last time as they entered the cave. _Damned meddlesome humans_.

**~~~***~~~**

“Level Nine, Department of Mysteries,” a pleasant voice floated through the lift.

Harry straightened the collar of his robes as he stepped off of the lift, the Spinning Room and old courtrooms, and headed towards the Thought Chamber. He clenched his jaw, replaying the morning’s events in his mind. Once again he’d had a fight with Ginny. They both had become quite good at it, actually. It was, regrettably, becoming the norm for them.

Five years had passed since the war, and still, Harry was plagued with disturbing memories. His traumatic past haunted him, even if others had managed to to put it behind them, like Ginny had so effortlessly done. He couldn’t simply compartmentalize it away; It was forever prevalent, much to his dismay. His fiancee of two years considered this “weak,” so it was hardly a topic he could broach with her. What was more, she kept him on a tight leash, forever expecting the worst of him.

Harry hadn’t very much experience in relationships, but he expected if he had, he wouldn’t be very fond of the jealousy aspect that was poisoning his. What was the point of being with someone if you didn’t trust them? Gone was the confident and carefree girl he had known since their school days. Since they’d been a couple, he’d come to see a paranoid side of her he didn’t much care for. She had grown to be quite obsessed with the thought that Harry went to work everyday shagging witches in any empty Ministry office he could find. It was bloody infuriating, and likely the reason he could hardly find it in himself to shag her.

He already had to face the wrath of the Weasleys; Ron and his family were not keen on the long engagement. He felt pressured from society, who viewed them both as London’s golden couple. It was an impossible legacy to live up to—and quite the joke. He’d much rather spend long hours at the Ministry and away from her incessant nagging. He supposed that’s why he opted for the most demanding job the Ministry could offer, rather than the path of Auror—that of an unspeakable.

His position in the Department of Mysteries granted him the much sought after time away from home, as well as presented him with challenging work that he could lose himself in. The solitude alone was a bonus.

Harry made a valiant effort to wrench the troublesome thoughts from his mind. He was going to see Hermione, and Hermione could always sense when something was amiss.

Reaching the entrance of the Thought Chamber, he quickly schooled his features before stepping through the door.

His carefully sculpted mask splintered at the sight before him.

His best friend was hunched over her desk with none other than _sodding Malfoy_ standing closely next to her. Harry felt a flush creep up his neck. Kingsley had notified him to meet with Hermione for orders. Why did he have to choose a time when the bloody ferret was there also?

“Well, don’t stand there gaping,” Hermione said, completely neglecting to look up. “Come in, at least.”

Malfoy looked up, appraising him with expressionless gray eyes. “Potter,” he greeted coolly.

“Malfoy.” Harry inclined his head whilst willing his features to be unreadable once more. He looked down at Hermione’s desk where a three dimensional map was illuminated in the air. “What are you two looking at?”

“Mintumble has made some groundbreaking progress in the Space Chamber,” she informed them proudly, simultaneously flicking her wand over the map. “She’s made an epic discovery! Did you know etching the _Raio Rune_ along with _Inguz_ onto a compass will have the effect of zoning in on magical power sources?”

Harry glanced up quickly at Malfoy, but his face was inscrutable. He shook his head.

Hermione continued, undeterred. “It allows us to discover artefacts previously concealed—possibly, even, for thousands of years. We haven’t had a major magical find since the Terracotta warriors. Think of all the possibilities this compass can lead us to!” Hermione continued to flick her wand, zooming in and out around the map that Harry now recognized as Britain.

“Take it easy, Hermione. You’re making me sick,” Harry muttered.

Malfoy’s brows knitted in concentration. “Does it have a specific range?”

“About a hundred miles,” she answered excitedly. “And it’s working right now. See all those twinkling lights? I see quite a bit tucked away in Wiltshire.” She poked Malfoy playfully. He quirked his lips slightly, and Harry frowned at the lightness of their relationship. When had that developed? Maybe Ginny was right; it appeared he was the only one incapable of moving on since the war.

“That’s highly invasive of my privacy, Granger,” Malfoy said imperiously, but Harry detected mirth in his voice.

“This light here, the extra shiny one, what area is it pointing to?” Harry gestured to a northern portion of the map, where a small light glowed more brightly than the others.

“Wychwood Forest,” Malfoy observed.

“And _that_ is where your mission comes in.” Hermione smiled eagerly, glancing between the two men.

“Wait, our mission?” Harry gestured between him and Malfoy in bewilderment.

“Mmhmm,” she answered flippantly, striding over to a table on the far side of the room and lifting open a chest.

“Kingsley has never paired up Potter and me before,” Malfoy pointed out.

“I paired the two of you up.”

Harry and Malfoy exchanged glances.

“Why?” Harry asked, feeling mildly alarmed.

“Let me see,” she placed a finger on her chin in thought, “you’re two of the best unspeakables the Ministry has to boast of…Oh! And Saul Croaker is still in St. Mungo’s, recovering from his last mission. Obviously, Eloise needs to continue her work in the Space Chamber. So, that leaves the two of you.” Hermione withdrew two pocket watches from the chest. “Here,” she handed them each one. “We’ve spelled this with the _Algiz Rune_.”

“For protection?” Malfoy arched a brow.

“That’s right. And it has the nifty ability to breach any ward—at least the ones I’ve come across. I’ll need the two of you to work cohesively as a team. You’re the best we’ve got, and we’ve no idea what could be strong enough to leave that sort of trace.”

Harry inwardly fumed, unsure why he felt so unsettled about the partnership, but definitely put off by it.

“That’s fine by me.” Malfoy’s eyes flickered up to meet Harry’s. “Is it alright by you, Potter?”

He could feel Hermione’s gaze boring into him. “Of course it’s alright,” he replied smoothly. “We can get started first thing tomorrow.”

She smiled widely. “Wonderful!”

Harry turned to leave, but Hermione halted him. “Harry, don’t forget about my and Theo’s soirée at Nott manor. It’s next week, will you be attending?”

“I believe Ginny mentioned it.”

She turned to Malfoy. “You haven’t RSVP’d either, Draco. Theo will be sorely disappointed if his best mate isn’t there.” Her glare turned reproachful.

“Count me in.” Malfoy turned for the door.

“Shall we expect a plus one?”

His voice was distinctly amused. “I’ll be going stag, Granger.”

He left, and Harry turned to face Hermione questioningly.

“Theo says he’s called off his engagement with Astoria,” she explained.

Harry nodded and began mentally preparing himself for another evening with his own fiery fiance. Perhaps he could make a pit stop at the local pub first…

**~~~***~~~**

“Harry,” Ginny whinged. “Not only did you miss your fitting for your new dress robes, but then you come home smelling like firewhiskey again?”

“What fitting?” He asked, loosening his tie and throwing it on the counter. The flat was annoyingly cold, as if Ginny hadn’t been around all day to cast a fire.

She furrowed her brows in displeasure. “For Theo and Hermione’s soirée, of course.”

 “I was going to wear the black and green ones, I already told you.” He reached his favorite chair and plopped down heavily on it.

“That will never work, Harry.” Ginny wrinkled her nose in apparent distaste. “You have to get red and black to match my gown, silly.”

“Whatever, Ginny.”

Her brows drew together, a telltale sign she was vexed or concerned.

He glanced up, guilt clawing to the surface. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to snap. Work’s just been trying lately.”

“Well ,if you’d have joined Ron in the Auror department, you could have counted on much earlier nights. There aren’t very many dark wizards to apprehend these days.”

Harry inwardly lamented. _Does she really mean to dredge up that old arguement?_

“Regardless, it doesn’t really matter.” She lifted some boxes from the table proudly displaying Madam Malkin’s logo emblazoned boldly over the top. “I managed without you.”

The familiar feeling of irritation rose to the surface, and this time, Harry was unable to ignore it. _Perhaps starting a mission with Malfoy tomorrow won’t be so bad after all._

**~~~***~~~**

Harry moved silently, wand raised, next to Malfoy as they ventured deeper into Wychwood Forest. Rotting trees created a woodsy incense in the air. Harry found he quite liked the smell.

“You don’t have to be so bloody tense, Potter,” Malfoy drawled. “It’s not like someone’s going to come out and grab us.”

Harry reluctantly snuck a glance in Malfoy’s direction. The haughty wizard looked as confident as ever. What was more, he couldn’t help but notice how striking his features were. The Malfoy Harry remembered from his school days was more sharp points than chiseled angles, but that had all changed. His aristocratic features were easier to notice sans his trademark smirk. He eyes, hooded though they were, were like depthless pools of molten silver.

“Is that why you chose this line of work,” Harry hazarded carefully, “for the low danger factor?”

Malfoy frowned. “Hardly. The Auror department spends their days pursuing petty thieves and settling domestic disputes. They’re like glorified Magical Law Enforcement. At least with us unspeakables, we can continue our education. Continue studying. There’s still so much to learn and discover.”

Harry nodded, completely understanding where the former Slytherin was coming from. “What do you suppose we’ll find here?”

Malfoy glanced at him mischievously, his smile oddly disarming. “That’s half the fun isn’t it, Potter?”

Harry gulped. “Yeah.”

_Yeah? Good-Godric, is that all I can manage? How embarrassing._

Malfoy shot him a look, and Harry was reminded again of just how intelligent his newly arranged partner was. He could probably sense Harry’s trepidation.

“Look, Potter, I know we have… _unresolved issues_. I was prat at school-”

“Please, Malfoy. You were a kid. We all were. And you made up for all of it when you didn’t betray us at your manor.”

“That’s another thing,” Instead of looking relieved, Malfoy looked bemused, “I never did get to thank you, I mean truly thank you, for what you said at my trial. If it wasn’t for you, I’d likely be rotting in Azkaban right now.”

“I just spoke the truth,” Harry assured him. “It was nothing.”

Malfoy stopped him, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. Harry found himself suddenly caught in startling gray eyes. “Trust me, it wasn’t ‘nothing.’”

Heat radiated from Malfoy’s hand, and Harry felt suddenly at a loss for what to do. Weeks of tension at home had him riled up and ready to unravel at the slightest provocation. Fortunately, he was saved from having to think of something witty, or possibly humiliating himself by having a breakdown right in front of Malfoy, of all people: The magic-sensor Hermione had entrusted them with, chose that moment to go off like a rabid Weasley whiz-bang.

“Merlin,” Malfoy said, breaking away from Harry and cradling the sensor with both hands. “Do you see this thing? It’s going crazy.” He held it in the air examining it closely. “I think it’s guiding us to that cave over there.” Malfoy gestured for Harry to follow. “Let’s check it out.”

**~~~***~~~**

“I’m a bit leery,” Harry admitted. “That necklace is just sitting on the stone, bold as brass, not warded or anything.”

“It could be warded,” Malfoy pointed out. “We haven’t tried to pick it up yet.”

Harry eyed the delicate silver chain dubiously. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Malfoy halted him, his eyes widening in alarm. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Harry grinned. “You’ve already thrown every spell you know at it. The diagnostic tests have all come up clear.”

“Yes, but that’s more alarming than reassuring, I should think. That it’s not even resonating with my diagnostic spell, yet it caused the sensor to go off, not to mention the one at the Ministry? Which, need I remind you, was a hundred miles away? I would advise discretion, Potter.”

Harry couldn’t disagree more. This sort of thing was exactly what he needed.

The thrill of the chase.

_Excitement._

To live on the edge once more.

That’s what was missing from his life, and he’d be damned if he let Malfoy put an end to it before it even begun.

“Come on, Malfoy,” he said, reaching for the seemingly innocent trinket. “Live a little.”

Looking back, Harry supposed he was quite lucky that Malfoy’s hand closed around his wrist the very instant Harry’s fingers touched the foreign metal. If it hadn’t, Harry may have faced one of the most challenging events of his life alone.

**~~~***~~~**

 


	2. Where Worlds Collide

**~~~***~~~**

A cacophony of light and sound assaulted his senses. It was blinding as well as deafening. Draco wasn’t sure if it would cease. 

He lost time.

He was spinning wildly, and for a panicked moment he thought it may never stop.

Dimly, he noticed he was gripping something harshly, as if his very life depended on it. Ironically, this grounded him. His mind had been slipping, and exerted, he tried to remember what it was that had just happened.

His brain grew dizzy with the effort and he immediately squashed that idea.  _ Fine, since I can’t see or hear, I’ll just focus on what I’m holding. It’s firm, yet pliant _ …his mind lapsed again and then it hit him.  _ Potter! I had just managed to hold on to Potter!  _ He tried to open his mouth to call out to the barmy Gryffindor, but no sound would leave his mouth.

He held on tighter to his partner, fearful of what would happen should he let him slip. His mind wandered again and he started worrying that this would never end.

Abruptly, it did just that.

They landed with a hard thud over thick shrubs and sharp twigs.

Body aching, Draco let out an audible groan. “Potter, are you there?”

His question was greeted by silence, and Draco grew troubled. With all the strength he could muster, he rolled to his side, rolling off of the bush he’d landed on and onto the soft ground. He saw Harry just to his left.

“Potter,” he tried again. “Potter get up. We need to figure out just what kind of a mess you dragged me into.”

Weak and throbbing, Draco prodded him in the side. The brunet wizard moaned, but to Draco’s annoyance, didn’t bother getting up. The sodding Gryffindor would have to get up sooner or later. Draco flopped onto his back and stared at the sky, which was much darker than it had been previously. How long had they been in that cave? 

Staring up at the dark blue sky, he noticed immediately that it was not ancient trees that looked down on him, but rather, thick, large leaves that looked oddly like they belonged in a jungle. Where the bloody hell were they?

A flash of silver caught his eye, and he saw the damned necklace, lying in between him and Potter. He reached for it, then hesitated, instead reaching for one of the thick banana leaves. Careful not to directly touch the stone, he wrapped the necklace up and placed it in his pocket. He sensed that whatever odd power the necklace held, it was dormant now, but he couldn’t be too safe.

He glanced again at Potter, wishing the stubborn bloke would get to his feet. 

When the wild woman arrived, it appeared that decision was going to be made for them.

A shadow fell over them and Draco peered up to see the familiar face of Hermione Granger, though quite uncharacteristically, she was wearing practically nothing.

“Did I miss the memo? Was it _dress-like-a-barbarian_ _day_?” he quipped.

The wild-eyed Granger—with hair that truly did resemble a bush--thwacked him promptly on the head.

He fell back to the jungle floor, his last conscious thought— _ This was all Potter’s fault _ .

**~~~***~~~**

Harry awoke with a groan, feeling pained and uncomfortable.

“Finally,” he heard Malfoy say in his familiar drawl.

“Where are we?” Harry felt the heat of flames near his face, and his eyes popped open. The first thing he saw was a huge fire in the middle of what looked to be a clearing in a… _ jungle _ ? Head throbbing he turned, stunned to find Draco tied and bound to a stick next to him. “Good Merlin, are we tied up?”

“You miss all the fun stuff." His lips twisted in a wry smirk.

“What’s going on?”

Malfoy clenched his jaw, his eyes drawn to the crowd assembled by the fire. Harry followed his line of sight. For the first time, Harry noticed the people and how oddly they were dressed—or weren’t dressed. “See them over there? I can’t really speak their language, but from what I can tell they’re debating on whether or not to kill us, or hail us as gods.”

Harry peered at the blond as if he’d grown two heads. “Come again?”

“That’s not the worse part. The worse part is they appear to be doppelgangers of our friends from back home. But they’re not the same. The Hermione Granger I know doesn’t have an arm like  _ that _ . And if anyone would know, it'd be me.”

For the first time, Harry noticed the huge welt in Malfoy’s head.

“Did the necklace put us in some kind of dream? Or nightmare, rather?”

“Or it may have transported us to some insane place.” Malfoy sighed, watching the group by the fire warily. “They’re going to roast us on that spit over there. I think that’s the general consensus, anyway.”

Harry struggled against his binds. “We have to get out of here.”

“For fuck’s sake, what do you think I’ve been doing for the past hour?”

Harry twisted and wrenched his body, feeling the rough vines slip from his wrist. “Malfoy, do you by chance have the necklace?

“Yeah, I wasn’t going to leave it lying there. But what good does that-” Malfoy noticed Harry’s newly freed hands. “So, there is some slyness in you after all.”

Harry chuckled. “The Sorting Hat was going to place me in Slytherin.” He went over to Malfoy, hurriedly freeing him of his binds as well. 

Malfoy rubbed his wrists, hissing in pain. “Quick, where should we go?”

“Deep into the damned forest. We can set up some kind of ward until we can figure out how to use the necklace again.”

Malfoy’s tone turned serious. “Maybe we shouldn’t use that bloody thing again.”

“Well, we can’t stay here, can we?”

Malfoy nodded stiffly. “I see your point.”

“Come on then.” He glanced over to the group of villagers, for the first time noticing a pyramid dwarfing the trees behind them. “We have to escape this sodding place.”

“For once, Potter, I couldn’t agree more.”

**~~~***~~~**

Draco pressed his back against the tree, sitting with his knees in the air.

“Potter, will you stop that awful chattering?”

“Sorry,” he muttered. “This jungle gets colder than Hogsmeade in a blizzard.”

“That’s a bit dramatic. You’re just not used to being unable to cast a warming charm.”

Potter furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why do you suppose we can’t use magic here?”

“Maybe the forest is enchanted? Warded? Hell, if I know!”

“Then we need to get out of it so we can use the necklace again. Before those barbarians come looking for their missing sacrifices.” Harry glanced around nervously, as if the very mention of them would cause them to appear out of the underbrush.

“The Kingsley-look-alike was especially intimidating.” Draco shivered at the reminder. “We can walk out to the edge of the forest after we’ve gotten some rest.”

“I don’t think I  _ can _ get rest here. Not with _ them _ after us. Not with this chilly jungle.”

Draco scooted closer to him.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked in alarm.

He chuckled. “Isn’t this the Muggle way? Getting closer to the other person to share body heat?”

“Oh,” Harry rasped. “Yeah. Didn’t expect you to know about that.”

“There are a lot of things I know about that may surprise you, Potter,” Draco said with a small smile on his face.

Potter’s eyes widened. Whatever answer he’d been expecting, it seemed Draco had certainly taken him off guard. He swallowed, and Draco was momentarily entranced by the way Harry’s adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

Potter opened his mouth to speak, and Draco suddenly became aware of the wizard’s lips. They looked soft and pliant. Draco had to mentally shake himself. It was not good to be thinking about the Golden Boy’s lips. He’d endeavored to join this mission with Potter in hopes of forging a friendship with one of the only people, save Hermione, that seemed to be able to look past his history of being a disgraced Death Eater.

The last thing Draco needed to do was screw things up royally by scaring Potter off. He was interested in witches, that was obvious. Whatever issues Draco had been going through in his private life that prompted him to cut things off with Astoria needed to be compartmentalized for a later date.

“So,” Potter said cautiously. “What happened with you and Greengrass?”

_ Fuck. _ That was just the sort of conversation he was trying to avoid.

Potter seemed to notice his hesitation. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s fine,” Draco assured him. “It’s just…still so fresh you know?”

Potter looked at him with startlingly green eyes. Draco wondered absently when the wizard had stopped using his spectacles constantly. Even his messy hair was in relative order. The man had certainly changed since their school days.

“Astoria and I were never well suited for each other.” Draco fiddled with the hem of his robes. “She’s a great girl, to be sure, I expect I’m the problem, actually.” Alarms started to go off in his brain, and Draco hurried to rein in the conversation. “I’m just not ready to settle down,” he lied, flashing a smile that displayed his teeth.

“I understand completely.” Harry sat forward, resting his hands on his knees.

Draco frowned. “You do?”

Potter nodded. “Ginny and I…we’ve been together since Hogwarts. Everyone expects us to marry and grow old together. But what if that’s not what I want? Ginny is a great girl. She deserves a great bloke, I just don’t know if I can be that person. I still struggle with  _ issues _ …issues from the war. I don’t want to drag her into all of that.”

Draco was momentarily stunned into silence. He had no idea there was trouble in—what looked to the rest of the world to be—paradise. 

Shaking himself, Potter drew back against the tree, absently letting his leg fall out to rest against Draco’s. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to burden you with all of that, mate. I’m just a bit off, probably from this whole ordeal.”

“No.”

The dark-haired wizard drew his eyebrows together. “No?”

“No,” Draco repeated urgently, staring at him intently. “You’re not off at all. You have every right to be happy. You shouldn’t feel obligated to do what others expect you to do just to please them. If they’re truly your friends, they’ll support you regardless.”

Potter looked momentarily floored as he met Draco’s intense stare. “Do you really think so?”

“If not, they don’t deserve to be in your life.”

Potter’s eyes were so open and honest, so depthless, Draco feared he may get lost in them. There was a moment, though brief, where Draco let his guard down, inadvertently letting Potter see his vulnerable side.

The moment quickly vanished at the sound of indistinct war cries.

Draco swore. “They’re looking for us.”

The wizards got hastily to their feet.

“Come on, Potter. Hold my hand. I’ll carry the necklace until we get to an area where it works again.”

Potter didn’t argue and immediately reached for Draco’s hand. Draco in turn grabbed the necklace, and they were shocked when the felt the necklace power instantly begin to pull them away again.

**~~~***~~~**

 


	3. Scandal

**~~~***~~~**

Harry miraculously didn’t pass out the second time the necklace was used, but he did lose his breath.

He and Malfoy fell into the strangest sight he’d ever seen, much stranger than the last. This world was a digital cityscape as far as the eye could see. The buildings were oddly shaped, futuristic, with a distinct electronic feel to it. Aircrafts whizzed by at reckless speeds, and Harry could hardly make heads or tails of what he was seeing at this alarming height.

They both fell back against the wall and began half walking, half crawling on the narrow ledge. His lungs were burning and his breaths came in short pants. The air seemed thinner, and he was dying to breathe. They stumbled onto a rooftop of sorts and Harry’s breathing became even more strained.

Harry fell to his arse and he looked up just in time to see Malfoy pointing his wand at him. He flinched, not comfortable with the platinum haired wizard’s wand pointing anywhere near him.

Malfoy muttered, casting a bubble-head charm that matched his own.

Harry felt sweet air once again fill his lungs and relief flooded him.

 

“Thanks, Malfoy.”

 

“We need to get indoors. This is only a temporary solution.”

 

Nodding stiffly, Harry followed Malfoy to the adjacent wall, and they both proceeded to edge alongside it, feeling for any sort of entry.

 

“There’s a seam right here,” Malfoy said, gesturing to an immaculate expanse of the chrome wall. He pressed at a corner, and a doorway appeared.

 

Victorious, the two wandered through and found themselves in a hallway of sorts.

 

“This way,” Malfoy said.

 

Harry was content to let him lead. They traveled through a labyrinth of halls and rooms, until they finally met with a crowd of people.

 

“We’re getting odd stares, Malfoy,” Harry whispered.

 

“Put your hood of your cloak up,” Malfoy instructed.

 

Harry did so, and they walked through the throng of people, mostly wearing some type of skin-tight suit. They passed by another doorway and Malfoy pulled him inside.

 

Both wizards looked around the foreign pub. It was dark save for a wall of tanks bubbling with different color water. It cast an unnatural glow throughout the bar. Harry and Malfoy went to sit on two stools, watching as others in the bar sipped on strange drinks and pressed tubes up to their noses. They exchanged looks before shrugging and grabbing the tubing at the counter to lace over their own ears and place in their nostrils.

 

“Oxygen,” Harry explained.

 

“I see that,” Malfoy replied. “I suppose in whatever god-awful dimension this is, the air is much thinner.”

 

Harry chuckled, and Malfoy cast him a dubious look. “Either that, or this oxygen is laced with something funny. I feel lightheaded.”

 

“Merlin, Malfoy, we need to figure this bloody thing out. It’s a damned nightmare!”

 

Malfoy gestured for the bartender, a man clad in a cobalt blue jumpsuit. “Something to drink, please?”

 

The man quirked his eyebrows. “Happy water?”

 

“Erm, sure. Just start us a tab, if you would.”

 

The bartender’s eyebrows rose further still, but he turned to fetch their drinks.

 

“We need to stay long enough for that necklace to kick in again,” Harry said in a low voice.

 

Malfoy nodded in agreement. “So what do you suppose is up with the cursed piece of metal, anyway?”

 

The bartender arrived with their drinks, some sort of limegreen, bubbly liquid, and Harry took a grateful gulp. He watched as Malfoy’s long, dexterous fingers curled around the glass and he took a drink of his own.

 

Harry swallowed thickly. “It’s like some Muggle science fiction movie. We keep traveling from one world to the next.”

 

“This,” Malfoy gestured wildly around the room, “can’t be real. It’s likely some Patented Daydream Charm gone horribly wrong.”

 

“I don’t know,” Harry mused. He thwacked the counter with his hand. “Everything seems fairly real to me.”

 

“Rubbish.” Malfoy took another drink and Harry followed suit.

 

**~~~***~~~**

 

 _It was all Potter’s fault_.

 

The damned boy wonder. He and Draco had checked the cursed necklace three times, and still it wouldn’t activate. So four drinks later, they sat, racking up a rather hefty bill, if he had any sort of guess.

 

“The bartender’s giving us a look again, mate,” Draco informed him, trying, and failing to keep the slur from his voice.

 

“Damn. Did it take this long last time?”

 

“I can’t be certain. I was out for part of it.” He gave Potter a meaningful once over, eyes raking over his partner. “And clearly, you were as well.”

 

Potter giggled, he actually giggled, and what was far worse, was that Draco joined in with him. The Gryffindor’s laugh was oddly contagious. He might as well be Pansy, being careful to brush up against him on a daily basis in the elevator shaft, as if the silly bint thought now that he was single, he was ripe for the taking. _Fucking Parkinson_ . The only thing redeemable about her were her cheekbones. Potter had nice cheekbones. Sort of chiseled and very much defined. _And there I go thinking about sodding Potter again_ , Draco inwardly lamented. His mind had been wandering on and off for the past hour. _Potter doesn’t even have the decency to stay out of my bloody thoughts._

 

He absently fingered the oxygen tubing, pretending to be entranced by the glowing tanks of liquid around him and _decidedly not_ by the bloke sitting next to him.

 

He must look like a right fool, especially considering the other pub patrons gathered around him. How silly a duo did they look? Draco’s lips twisted in a smirk.

 

“What?” asked Harry, green eyes sparkling.

 

“I was just thinking what a right, uncommon sight the two of us make here.”

 

“Oh.” Potter visibly deflated. “Because you would never willingly drink with me in the real world.”

 

“No.” Draco shook his head. “More like because of the situation. Truth be told, I’m having the most fun I’ve had in longer than I can remember, despite the threat of death at every turn.”

 

“Really?”

 

Draco placed his hand over Potter’s closed fist. “Really,” he assured him.

 

It happened again. That damned moment when Draco became lost in Harry’s gaze. He’d always thought his eyes to be green, but if one looked closely, you could just make out flecks of gold.

 

The moment was interrupted by the abrupt arrival of another pub patron, this one clad in a shiny red jumpsuit that clung tightly to her figure. Her hair was positioned smartly in a bun high on her head, and her heels clicked menacingly across the floor.

 

Draco felt like he may throw up in his mouth. “Bloody-fucking-hell. _Futuristic Granger?_ As if the rest weren’t bad enough.”

 

“Potter, Malfoy.” She sneered in blatant disgust. “I’ve warned you before. You’re extracurricular activities must not interfere with work.” She frowned at them, disapproval evident in her eyes. “And what are you wearing? Are the two of you moonlighting as period actors?” She let out an indelicate snort. “Nevermind. Whatever you two get up to in your personal lives, is personal and needs to stay that way.”

 

“W-what?” Potter stammered, turning an attractive shade of red. “You can’t possibly mean to suggest…?”

 

Draco got to his feet, rolling his eyes. “Come on, Potter.” He grabbed the wizard by the sleeve of his robe. “I’m too hammered for this.” He ran his fingers along the necklace, and blessedly, it worked.

 

**~~~***~~~**

 

“I don’t believe it,” Harry said, looking around with wide eyes. “We’re home!”

 

“Are we?” Malfoy asked, suspicion etched in his voice, feeling immediately sobered.

 

“This is Diagon Alley, isn’t it?” Harry looked around at the familiar buildings, hope swelling in his chest. It even smelled familiar. “This bloody adventure is finally over.”

 

“It’s so dead,” Malfoy observed. “The streets are practically empty.”

 

“What time of day is it? Either late morning or early evening, I’d wager.”

 

“Either way.” Draco stood, wand at the ready. “It makes no sense for the place to be _this_ absent of people. Maybe we aren’t in the correct time?”

 

“Perhaps there’s a Daily Prophet flying around here, somewhere, and we can check the date.”

 

“That would be convenient.”

 

Tentatively, with their wands gripped tightly, they made their way down the street. They’d only gone a few meters when they finally spotted fellow magicfolk.

 

Draco caught onto the hem of his cloak and pulled him into a nearby alley, holding him much too tightly for comfort.

 

“What the bloody hell, Malfoy?” Harry hissed.

 

He hushed him, placing a finger over his lips. “Those are Death Eaters”, he whispered

 

His stomach dropped as Malfoy’s words resonated. _Death Eaters in Diagon Alley? But there hasn’t been dark wizards spotted in ages! What the bloody hell is happening?_

 

“You’re absolutely right, Rowle,” a familiar voice drawled. “I’ll petition the Dark Lord this very evening, but I’m sure he’ll grant us permission to move forward with the decree. The last of the Mudbloods, have they been captured?”

 

“We’ve located all the ones we know of, Minister,” Rowle responded.

 

Their voices drifted away. _Malfoy, that’s your father_ , Harry mouthed.

 

Malfoy nodded, his eyes turning hard as steel. They stayed where they were for a few more moments, breathing heavily, before they ventured around the opposite corner, hoods drawn.

 

“Malfoy,” Harry started tremulously. “Why in Merlin’s name did Rowle call your father ‘Minister?’”

 

“Good question, Potter.” They stopped on the other side of the alley.

 

“What should we do?” Harry asked paced distractedly.

 

“Perhaps we can go to Hogwarts,” Malfoy proposed. “It’s risky but, we can find out more of what’s going on…”

 

“Maybe we can just hide out somewhere until the necklace works again-”

 

“And what if it doesn’t work again?” Draco raged. “What then, Potter?”

 

Harry’s eyes widened in alarm.

 

“It seems the necklace’s power is taking longer and longer to kick in. What if it stops working altogether? We’ll be stuck in this world, this Vol-, _You-Know-Who_ controlled world forever. Where they’ve won, they’ve actually won, and Muggle-borns are being hunted! We might actually have to figure something out this time. There may be no more worlds to flee to. Each one is more terrible than the last.”

 

“You’re surely not giving up on returning home?”

 

“I’m not giving up. I’m just preparing for the worse.”

 

“Maybe we should go to your father, if he’s Minister he’ll hold some kind of power-”

 

Malfoy dragged his hand roughly through his hair. “No, no, that would be ill-advised. I’m not even sure I’m his son, and I bet he wouldn’t be pleased to see you. Maybe we can look for Snape? Sneak around Hogwarts and gauge whether or not he’s approachable?”

 

“What if we’re spotted by someone else?”

 

“We can always say we were fancying a visit, feeling nostalgic? I don’t bloody know.” Malfoy shrugged.

 

“But Malfoy, what if I’m the enemy in this world?”

 

Malfoy looked up sharply. “Then it’s best you stay hidden.”

 

**~~~***~~~**

 

They Apparated just outside of Hogsmeade and took the Shrieking Shack passage to the Whomping Willow. Draco couldn’t shake his irritation about not knowing of the passage. He had to admit, Potter was proving he could be quite resourceful. After sneaking around the big oaf’s hut, they found themselves rather gratefully, in the strawberry fields.

 

“What’s the plan, Potter?” Draco drawled, plucking a berry into his mouth.

 

“We sit here and eat strawberries until inspiration strikes us.”

 

“Fair enough,” Draco said, falling to his back and resting his head on the soft ground. “I never actually thought, when I took Granger’s mission, that I’d be lying in the dirt next to you a mere twenty-four hours later.”

 

Potter chuckled. “Believe me, Malfoy; I never thought so either.” Harry continued to pick berries and place them in his lap. “It’s kind of eerie, isn’t it? Hogwarts, I mean. Merlin, I really hope we aren’t stuck here.”

 

“This place is awful, I can already tell.”

 

“Well, you are some kind of royalty here,” Potter pointed out.

 

“How do you think that works?” Draco mused. “I mean, do you think there are two of us here, like copies, or do you think we cancel the other set out? Or do you think we were ever here in the first place?”

 

“You disappeared about an hour ago.” A chilling voice interrupted them.

 

Draco and Harry bolted upwards at the sound of _that_ voice, just in time to see a wand drawn, and pointed straight at them. Their wands were whirled away immediately from their persons.

 

“Fucking hell, Potter,” Draco cursed. “Dumbledore.”

 

“Language, Malfoy. What would the Minister say?”

 

“My father?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Draco swallowed audibly, glancing over to Potter in an attempt to communicate with him silently. He was a skilled Legilimens, maybe he could put the idea in his head? _We can feign to be our counterparts_ , he tried.

 

“No need to play coy, Malfoy, _Potter_ ,” Dumbledore sneered the last word in disgust. “I heard your conversation. Enough to know you’re imposters, anyway. Besides, the Malfoy of this world is a Potions Master, much to his father’s disapproval. And Potter is…well, dead.”

 

Potter gulped and Draco opened his mouth, vying for time, “What were you doing out here, old man?”

 

“I often stroll through the grounds,” Dumbledore explained, never taking his blue eyes off of them, but they were far from twinkling. “Call it an old man’s peaceful hobby.”

 

“You said I disappeared, what did you mean by that?”

 

“Right there in the dungeon. There were twenty witnesses. Of course we all dismissed it as Apparation, but it seems we were remiss to believe so.”

 

_Apparation?_

 

“Headmaster,” Harry said, appealing to the older wizard. “You have to help us. Something strange is happening.”

 

Draco winced at Potter’s imprudent plead, already pegging this world’s Dumbledore for a foe.

 

“Dear child,” Dumbledore said, approaching ever-closer. “I fear you mistake me for Severus.”

 

Harry’s eyes widened in alarm, realization dawning on him. _Finally_ , Draco thought.

 

A muscle clenched by Potter’s eye and he stayed thankfully silent.

 

“You will accompany me to the school grounds, whereupon, I will summon the Minister,” Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, “and the Dark Lord.”

 

“Why?” Potter asked, eyebrows drawn together in befuddlement.

 

“Why? Because you’re a good lad Harry. You always do what’s expected of you, and you will face your nemesis—it’s your destiny.”

 

And there it was. The summary of Potter’s life. Always doing others bidding, always doing what was expected. Draco had not known him well, before this trip, but even he had surmised that much.

 

Potter’s eyes hardened. “Not this bloody time.”

 

Potter raised his arm and Draco lunged for it. Magic crackled in the air, and Draco’s heart beat sped up as he chanced a glance at a stunned Dumbledore, not too stunned, apparently to wave his wand in a complicated spell pattern. Fortunately, he felt the pull of Apparation before he saw the scenery change, and held on tight to Potter, as the wizard Apparated them wandlessly to the Forbidden Forest.

 

They fell roughly to the forest floor, Potter pinioned beneath him; Malfoy rolled off of him quickly.

 

“Back where we started, huh, Potter?”

 

“Yeah, but wrong forest, I’m afraid. To say nothing of the time.”

 

“So you caught Dumbledore’s slip-up about the Apparation?”.

 

“Yeah, I guess there’s no need for wards in this universe.”

 

Draco chuckled, but Potter did not join in his mirth.

 

“He thinks he can control me, just as he did before, just as _they all do_ . But I swear to Merlin, Malfoy, _no one’s_ telling me what I must do ever again. I’m _done with it_. From now on, I decide my fate,” he raged.

 

Draco put his hands up in surrender. “You don’t have to convince me. Should we try the necklace?”

 

“I mean it, Malfoy. He was a crazy old bat in our timeline, and he’s even crazier in this one. He wants me to face Riddle, as if it’s some-” Potter let Draco take his hand to check the necklace, and they both held their breath for a second, before it became clear it was still not working, “-as if it’s some predestined fate I’m bound to repeat in every lifetime. Well I’m not doing it again. I’m not bending to the will of others. Just like if we were home, I would stride right up to Ginny-”

 

“Bugger.”

 

“And I would tell her it’s done. I _can’t_ anymore. All the pressure. It isn’t me.” He paced through the woods, and Draco wondered absently how one person could appear so animated. Potter certainly wore his feelings on his sleeves. “Bloody hell, but that feels so freeing to say. You’ve no idea, Malfoy-”

 

Green eyes collided with stormy gray ones as Draco drew closer.

 

“Really, you don’t-”

 

“I understand completely.”

 

And then Draco shut the wizard up the only way he could think of how, by kissing him soundly on the mouth.

 

**~~~***~~~**

 

Harry wasn’t sure when exactly he became aware that they were no longer alone. In fairness, he was a bit distracted by the slightly evil—no, _definitely evil_ —excellent kisser he was currently snogging like his life depended on it. All those days at the Ministry, all of that pent up aggression, had culminated into _this_. Harry found that once he’d given into his baser desires, he was hard-pressed to stave them.

 

In the end, he supposed it was the flash from the camera that brought him out of his sensual stupor.

 

Something was pressing into his hip, and he realized, they were on a table of sorts. _What the bloody hell?_ What was more, there was some type of frosting coating his neck. Eyes popping open in a daze, he hauled himself into a sitting position, just in time to see the camera flash once more. He felt Malfoy, draw himself up, next to him.

 

To his horror, he was staring out into a crowd of people. _Familiar people_.

 

“I knew it,” Astoria said, with a sadistic curl of her lip.

 

Hermione’s face was frozen in shock, but her dimples were showing, and there was, quite impossibly, humor in her eyes.

 

Theo, arm around his betrothed, looked distinctly irritated. “You ruined our cake, mate. Did you have to snog on the dessert table, _of all places_?”

 

Harry cast a sideways glance at Malfoy. The damned Slytherin’s face was unreadable, as he straightened his collar in the most nonchalant way fathomable.

 

Someone pushed through the crowd, and Harry flushed red at the sight of Ginny. “Harry?!” she cried, aghast. If he thought he was horrified before, it was magnified tenfold when he spotted tears forming in her eyes. “Is that where you’ve been all this time—shagging Malfoy? For a bloody week?”

 

The camera went off again, and Harry blinked rapidly. “Look, Ginny, I can explain.”

 

“Well, you’d better.”

 

He glanced over at Malfoy again, but the Slytherin was looking straight ahead. He was annoyed to see the corner of his lips turned up in the beginnings of a smirk.

 

“Don’t look to him for answers,” she raged.

 

“Ginny, can we speak alone?”

 

“Whatever you have to say, _for Godric’s sake_ , spit it out!”

 

Harry sighed. “This wasn’t exactly how I’d envisioned telling you.”

 

“Un _fucking_ believable!”

 

“Oh, sod off, Ginevra,” Hermione said, striding over to Harry and pulling him away from the room at large. She motioned to Theo, and Harry presumed it was an unspoken gesture for Theo to drag Draco out of the limelight as well.

 

She waved off the crowd dismissively. “There’s nothing to see here, go about your business, everyone.” She turned to Harry, looking at him with concern in her eyes. “You really gave us a scare, both of you! You could have Owl’d if you were only vacationing with Malfoy this whole time. We nearly called off the soirée!”

 

“The soirée?” Harry frowned. “But that’s six days from now.”  


“Harry, you’ve been gone a week.”

 

“A week?”

 

Hermione led him into a sitting room and sat him down on a large sofa. “Yes, a week.” Her eyes narrowed sharply. “It seems we have a lot of catching up to do. Do enlighten me?”

 

“Okay, so long as you promise not to pull a _Barbarian-Granger_ or _Futuristic-Granger_ on me.”

 

“A what?”

 

“Nevermind.”

 

**~~~***~~~**

 

Harry stared at the Daily Prophet, sitting in front of him at the large table. Why did his left side have to be covered in cake? It wasn’t even the headline that bothered him, _Chosen One Ensnared by Former Death Eater_ , or the moving image that replayed everything—a pivotal moment in Harry’s life, in vivid detail. Nope. It was the blasted cake. He always kept his robes _far cleaner_ than that.

 

“Well,” Hermione said, placing the palms of her hands softly on the table. She looked between Harry and Draco. “That didn’t go… _so horribly_.”

 

“Kingsley doesn’t believe us, Granger,” Draco pointed out. _Good Godric_ , when did Harry begin to think of him as Draco?

 

“You’re right; he likely doesn’t.”

 

“But you believe us, don’t you Hermione?” Harry appraised her quizzically. “For Merlin’s sake, dark Dumbledore took our wands!”

 

“I believe… _something_ happened. Perhaps the necklace propels you into some dreamlike state. Whatever the case, it seems to have lost it’s power now.”

 

“Granger,” Draco said, unable to conceal his annoyance. “Just promise us you’ll be rid of the damned thing. Give it to Mintumble, and let her propel it into the outer space she so loves. Just so no one has to undergo what we went through.”

 

“It didn’t seem all that bad,” Hermione quipped.

 

“We were stressed,” Harry said, perhaps a bit more passionately than he intended. “Things…happened.” He shifted uncomfortably.

 

Hermione gave him a knowing look. “I’ll give you guys a moment alone, now that all of that’s finally squared away.” She shuffled her papers and straightened from her seat. “Oh, and for the record, I called it long before Greengrass.” They gaped at her, and she smiled saucily before walking off.

 

Summoning his Gryffindor courage, Harry looked at Draco. “Sorry.”

 

He scoffed. “What are you sorry for?”

 

“For Ginny…and the things she’s been telling the Prophet. For dragging you into this mess.”

 

“You didn’t drag me into anything. _I_ kissed _you_ , remember?”

 

Harry swallowed thickly.

 

Draco continued on, undeterred. “It’s me that should be telling you sorry, but-”

 

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

 

“I was going to say, I’m not.”

 

Harry’s eyes widened fractionally. “You’re not?” he repeated.

 

Draco shook his head.

 

“So, what does that mean,” Harry gestured between them. “What does _this_ mean?”

 

“I don’t know. I guess it means I wouldn’t mind seeing… _what could happen_.”

 

“What could happen?”

 

Draco nodded, observing him closely.

 

Harry’s pulse throbbed at his temples. Was this actually happening? Was Draco insinuating what he thought he was? He seemed to be waiting for an answer, and taking a leap, Harry decided to give him one.

 

“I think I’d like that.”

 

It was Draco’s turn to look surprised. “You would?”

 

Harry grinned, and Draco smiled broadly.

 

“Good,” Draco said.

 

Relief flooded Harry, and his heart soared. For once, he didn’t feel burdened by something he didn’t want. His life was in his hands.

 

Something nagged at the corner of Harry’s brain. “Draco, what do you suppose was up with that necklace?”

 

Draco shrugged. “Perhaps Granger’s right. I mean, really, is the witch ever wrong? Maybe it was some kind of dream-inducing-madness.”

 

Harry nodded. That was probably it.

 

 **~~~***~~~**  

 

“Have fun watching your play?” Nyx called snarkily.

 

Rowen rolled lazily to her back, staring up at the silver-haired fae haughtily. “Yes, actually.”

 

Nyx skipped around the lake flowers, her wings flapping and causing the air to sparkle around them. “I enjoyed it, too.” She cast a glance to the seeing-pool. “Especially the part where that witch said she’ll destroy your relic once and for all.”

 

Rowen sighed dramatically, rolling her iridescent eyes.

 

“I swear to the Unseelie King himself,” Nyx continued. “Those worlds would have plummeted us into madness. They were horrible.”

 

“I thought they were fun,” Rowen bit back, jabbing Nyx playfully.

 

“And those poor humans. Wizards or not, you scandalized them.”

 

“They didn’t mind so much.”

 

“The queen would have been livid. She would have unsung your song in a heartbeat.”

 

“You’re not getting a rise out of me,” Rowen informed her fae friend.

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“Because the necklace did exactly what it was meant to.” Rowen smiled at Nyx brightly. “It brought two people together who otherwise may never have found out they were soulmates.”

 

**~~~***~~~**


End file.
